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Tampere University Student's Handbook

Job search skills

  • Approach job hunting as a project. You should plan your job search and set yourself a schedule and goals. This sets the framework for your job search, and you will know how to proceed. 

  • Keep up with the times. Read magazines, surf the Internet and follow recent developments in your field, among others, by joining LinkedIn groups and monitoring the Twitter hashtags #jobs, #vacancies, #career, #jobsearch, #jobhunt. Take part in recruitment events, guest lectures and company visits. Stay up to date with what’s going on in industry and different business sectors. 

  • Identify your skills. You'’ve developed a wealth of skills and knowledge through your studies, hobbies and previous work experience. The clearer you are able to sum up your expertise and experiences, the better. 

  • As the number of possibilities can seem overwhelming, you should try to focus your job search. What do you want to do in your career? Do you know the work values that you most want in a job? Thinking about these questions will help you stay focused.  

  • Build a network of contacts and be seen. Tell as many people as possible that you are looking for work and build and effective online presence. Use social media: link your online portfolio, LinkedIn profile or a video CV to your job applications. Visit recruitment events and contact potential employers. Only about a third of all available jobs are advertised. You can access the so-called hidden job market by personally contacting interesting companies and organizations and sending open applications. 

 

Application documents

There is no one correct way to formulate your job application and CV, but there are some tips that you should remember:

  • Always customize your application and CV, don't send the same documents to all potential employers. A customized application will increase your chances of scoring an interview. 

  • Describe your relevant skills and experiences in concrete terms to highlight your fit for the job. You do not need to include absolutely everything you have done in your application.  You can describe the skills you have developed during your studies, previous jobs and hobbies. 

  • Use headings and chapters in your CV to improve readability. Make it easy for the reader to quickly scan your CV. 

More tips for writing a job application and CV are available in TEK's workbook

 

Social media in job hunting

In addition to face-to-face meetings, it is increasingly important to build and engage with your professional network online. Students may have limited work experience, but they can use social media to highlight the skills they have acquired outside of the workplace or classroom, such as through hobbies. There's a broad variety of social media channels out there, so pick the ones that suit you best and keep your content appropriate and up-to-date.    

Social media enables you to keep an eye out for job opportunities. Social media groups built around a specific field or business sector discuss and debate on topical issues that may be relevant to your job search. Join interesting groups, take part in discussions, and keep up with what’s going on in the world. 

Employers also build their social media presence by maintaining sites and groups in different channels. Social media offers you an excellent opportunity to stay up to date with company news. It is also increasingly used as a recruitment channel. Some companies are even using social media as their only recruitment tool. 

 

Job interviews and aptitude tests

Most of us feel nervous before a job interview. One way to prepare for an interview is to use visualization and mental imagery. You should practice your answers to typical interview questions ahead of time.

Companies may use aptitude tests to help them determine whether a job candidate has the right skillset for the open position.  Aptitude tests may include cognitive ability and intelligence tests, personality tests, and practical demonstrations of your skills. A job interview is also part of the test.   

Although you cannot really practice taking an aptitude test, you should be mentally prepared. When you are sitting an aptitude test, remember to listen and read all the instructions carefully and stay focused. Some tests may have a time limit, but these tests are designed so that they will not be finished by the majority of the candidates, so don'’t’ worry if you run out of time. Answer the questions honestly, because you cannot bluff your way through the test. If you provide conflicting answers, your interviewee will especially focus on these questions to determine whether your answers were truthful. 

It is advisable to ask for feedback on your aptitude test later on. The results will help you increase your self-awareness and prepare for future job interviews and aptitude tests. 

 

Job sites

In addition to the university´s JobTeaser Service there is a broad range of employment sites are available online. The majority of them are general sites that advertise job opportunities in every imaginable field, but some specialize in technology-oriented positions. There are quite a few of sites around, but unfortunately some operate only in Finnish. These listed here should work in English too.

There are several staff renting companies that are specialized in hiring personnel for fixed hours and fixed terms for other companies. Hired personnel are often hired for peak periods, parental leave substitutes etc. Working as a rented staff gives a nice working opportunity to students. Often these staff renting companies also provide recruitment services for companies looking for more permanent staff. There are quite a few staff renting companies around, here are just some of the biggest ones. 

Published: 21.2.2019
Updated: 28.3.2024
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Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) constitute the Tampere Universities community. Our areas of priority in research and education are technology, health and society.

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